Our people

John is a partner in Reed Smith’s Chicago office, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of intellectual property, internet law and software licensing (including open source).  John regularly counsels clients on technology and computer-driven liability, in matters involving unfair competition, copyright infringement, privacy and online speech and defamation (as well as matters involving the U.S. Communications Decency Act).  He also advises businesses on policies and practices relating to reputation management; social media; and generally to the dissemination of content in an electronic environment, including privacy and security policies, website agreements, communications policies and document retention policies. John is a member of the Social and Digital Media Task Force.  He co-authored the Commercial Litigation chapter of the Social Media White Paper entitled "A Legal Guide to the Commercial Risks and Rewards of the Social Media Phenomenon."

John has taught Internet law at Northwestern University School of Law since 1998.  He also teaches Intellectual Property at Northwestern and speaks and writes regularly on legal issues related to technology and the online environment.  John serves as a Trustee of the Erikson Institute, a graduate school in early childhood development.

Publications

• Author, Online Reputation Management and The Law," (online at http://orm-association.org/res ORM Legal.php) (2009).
• Author, "Copyright Licensing," (Chapter 5) Understanding the Intellectual Property License 2009 (Practicing Law Institute, 2009), to be published in the Licensing Journal in January 2010.
• Co-Author, “Legal Issues for E-Commerce Start-Ups to Consider,” (Chapter 19) INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW (IICLE, 2008).
• Author, “Move Over Dot Coms--Get Ready to Dot Your Brands!” Reed Smith Client Alert (November 17, 2008) (discussion of ICANN’s plan to introduce unlimited generic top level domains).
• Co-Author, “Federal Court Rules that Open Source Licenses are Enforceable under Copyright Law,” IP Today (August 15, 2008); republished in Thomson West’s Corporate Counsel’s Licensing Letter (October, 2008).
• Author, “Court Ruling Extends Privacy Protection to Subscription Data,” Reed Smith Client Alert (May 8, 2008).
• Co-Author, “Beating Vendor Lockdown: Negotiating Software Licenses for Your Organization,” ACC Docket, February 2006.
• Co-Author and recipient of a 2004 Burton Award for Legal Achievement for “Anonymity, Immunity & Online Defamation: Managing Corporate Exposure to Reputation Injury,” 4 Sedona Conf. J. 97 (2003), cited in EEOC v. Severn Treat Services, Inc., 358 F.3d 438 (7th Cir.2004) (Posner, J.).
• Author, “Jurisdiction: Should Nations Extend their Legal Reach Beyond Their Borders?” Internet Society (online at www.isoc.org), 2003.
• Co-Author, “Protecting Your Organization’s Reputation Against Cybersmear,” SHRM® Legal Report, May-June 2003.
• Author, “Anti-Cybersquatting Law Applies to Employees Trafficking Employer Domain Name,” HR Magazine, December 2003.
• Co-Author, “Point of Reference or Destination? Kelly v. Arriba and the Future of Hyperlinking,” World e-Commerce IP Report, Vol. 2, Issue 4, April 2002.

Speeches / Presentations

• Featured speaker on the topic of Social Media, AT&T 2010 Annual Legal Conference (Dallas), March 2010.
• Speaker and Panelist, 20th Transatlantic Dialog, “Digital Disclosure: Uncertainties Surrounding Personal Data--- Sharing and Theft,” September 2009 (Berlin, Germany) (Sponsored by the Association of State Media Authorities for the Federal Republic of Germany and Media Authority of Northrhine-Westfalia).
• Speaker, “Copyright Licensing,” Practising Law Institute (Understanding the Intellectual Property License), November 2009.
• Speaker, “The New gTLDs. . . . What They Mean for Brand Holders,” Association of National Advertising Law and Business Affairs Conference, March 2009 (New York) (Presentation on ICANN’s introduction of new top level domains and potential impact on incidence of cybersquatting and other malicious cyber-conduct).
• Co-Chair and Speaker, “Anatomy of a Software License”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, February 18, 2009 (Pittsburgh) and March 3, 2009 (Philadelphia).
• Speaker, “Open Source Software Licensing”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, July 9, 2008 (Pittsburgh) and July 17, 2008 (Philadelphia).
• Panelist, "Privacy: The IT Dilemma" (Faculty/Alumni Forum), Princeton University, June 2007.
• Presented "Emerging Internet Issues," Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute for Corporate Counsel, April 13, 2007.
• Co-Chair and Faculty Member, Sedona Conference: Digital Privacy & Security, May 2003.

Experience

Legal Education

Undergraduate Education